The Stars and the Sea
by PuertoRicanBelle
Summary: A year before Moana becomes chief, she is called yet again out to sea, to save wayfinding, by restoring the stars. But that can only be done with the help of a boy her age who has the answer to save the stars. He wants to help but he is haunted by personal demons, and he cannot sail, and so Moana desires to help him as well, leading to friendship and something more.
1. Chapter 1

It had been three years since Moana Waialiki trekked the seas with the once again legendary Demi-God, Maui. Three long, but adventurous years, with the people of Motonui and many other islands going back to voyaging again, nothing could be better.

Everything seemed so much more cheerful. Sailing to visit other island villages and their chiefs always brought something new, for every village there was a unique twist to each, and Moana loved it. With her time to becoming chief fast approaching, Moana had a lot to prepare for, one of which she wasn't particularly looking forward to.

One afternoon, Moana found herself occupied repairing the hull of one of canoes after it had hit a large section of the reef after returning back. It would need some repainting later. She hummed to herself as she worked, occasionally touching her necklace as if to make sure it was still there.

Since her grandmother's death, Tala's spirit had appeared from time to time to talk to Moana about things, chief duties and other activities. She loved her grandmother's company, even in spirit. The wind blew her hair so she tied it up in a bun and continued working on the hull, and halted her work as the sun began setting.

"Moana!" Her mother's voice called out for her from behind the trees, "Come on back to the village!" Moana stood and brushed the sand off her dress, "Coming mom! Let's go, Pua." With a grunt, the pig stood and trotted after Moana as she made her way back.

She met her mother outside of the treeline and Sina lead her daughter to the meeting hut.

"Mom? Why are we here?"

"We just need to talk with the elders about something. Nothing to worry about." Sina assured, with that, the two entered, leaving Pua to wait outside.

Slightly confused, Moana sat down on her mat to face the rest of the elders, all of whom were quietly talking amongst themselves. Tui stood up and the chattering stopped. He sat back down and initiated the meeting by casting his glance in Moana's direction.

"Moana, we have invited you to speak with us because we need to help you decided on your future as chief."

"What do you mean?" One of the elders, an aging man with a hunched back, his graying hair tied into a ponytail, spoke up.

"Moana, I hope you are aware you will need to find a husband to assist you with your duties as village chief."

 _Okay… Not a bad thing._ Moana thought to herself. She did know this would come up eventually, but it felt a little too soon. She was only 17, and she wasn't even fully inducted as official chief anyway.

"Okay. I understand."

"Good, but this will not hold you back from voyaging." Moana let out a breath she'd been holding in for a while, making some of the elders chuckle in amusement.

However, even after they did assure her she would still be able to do her own thing, Moana still felt a little reluctant. When her parents told her that they had some important business to take care of in the village, she didn't let them finish, and so she ran to her canoe and decided to go sailing with her free time.

The ocean was cool this afternoon, but the currents were warmer, a little odd but not peculiar. She pushed her canoe further past the reef and circled the island. As she sailed, however, she had a odd feeling in her heart. Something inside was calling her.

"No, not right now. I have duties to attend to." She told herself. Not wanting the urge to grow stronger, she sailed back to the village and went to find her parents.

After helping put away some of the harvest and folding tapa cloth with some of the villagers, she went back to her hut to clean up for the night. She combed out her hair and tied it into a braid and changed into some more comfortable clothes. Even after the rest of the village was asleep, Moana couldn't. The stars kept her up. They twinkled at her warmly, and she couldn't help but go to the top of the mountain where her shell lay on top of the stone pile. When she made her way to the top, she felt like she could touch the heavens. The sight was magnificent.

But then, that urge to sail out came back, and she didn't understand.

"What could be out there that I need to do?" She asked herself in annoyance. With a huff, she headed back down the village hoping she could sleep.

The next morning, Sina noticed how grumpy her daughter was, and how tired she appeared to be.

"Everything alright dear?" Sina asked as she undid Moana's braid. The teenager rested her chin in her fist and sighed.

"I couldn't sleep last night. I felt another calling inside and I don't know why. The stars kept me up." Sina raised an eyebrow and began combing out Moana's slightly tangled up hair.

"How interesting. Well, don't worry about doing anything today, your father says you can have the day to yourself."

Moana perked up and grinned, "Really?", Sina smiled warmly, seeing Moana's mood brighten up.

"Yes. Go have fun, but-"

"I know! See you later, mom!"

Moana went to the edge of the water where she often had danced with her grandmother, and practiced the dance she'd always done. It brought a sense of calm to her and she soon fell into the beat, swaying her hips and moving her feet with ease.

"You are getting quite talented at that dance." A familiar voice spoke up. Opening her eyes, Moana looked over to see Tala's spirit next to her, dancing along.

"Grandma!" Moana hugged her grandmother tight and smiled, "What are you doing here?"

"Came to check on you. I sensed you felt another calling recently." Moana nodded.

"It started the other day and hasn't left. I couldn't possibly guess what this calling could be for, though. The stars were keeping me up last night." Tala chuckled.

"Well, the stars certainly do have a calling. But perhaps, if you wish to cease the calling, go out and find it."

"But- Oh grandma, I don't know." Moana sighed, her shoulders slumping. Tala came to Moana's side and placed a hand on her shoulder, making Moana turn to face her.

"Now, Moana. I know you, you will be taking every chance you have to answer the calling of the ocean. What is stopping you now?" Moana glanced over her shoulder in the direction of the village.

"They're not really stopping me, I'm just always preoccupied with helping everyone. I haven't really gotten the time for any voyaging to myself for a while." She retied her belt and sat down on the rock, letting her feet dip into the water.

"Perhaps it's time to start setting things on your own path. After all, you are to be chief within the next year." Tala suggested casually. She knew that would get her granddaughter thinking. Moana was certainly independent and had always wanted to set her own path. The influences around her made an impact on that, voyaging, helping the villagers, and everything Chief Tui had taught her. With Moana so close to 18, she needed to take charge soon. And now would be a good time to get started. To Moana,

"I know, and I don't truly feel ready to be the chief yet. But I can't just up and leave." Tala nodded, "I understand. Just take some time to think about it. I will come back soon." Moana turned back around as Tala's spirit faded away.

"I will." She whispered to herself.


	2. Chapter 2

She met her mother outside of the treeline and Sina lead her daughter to the meeting hut.

Another day went back and the calling grew stronger with every passing moment. Finally, Moana gave up, there was no way she would be able to resist this call any longer. She found her parents at home.

"Mom? Dad? I need to talk to you." Tui and Sina turned to face her.

"Of course, Moana. What is it?" Tui asked calmly.

"Lately, I've felt another calling to the sea. Grandma told me that it was time for me to start my own path now, and to go out and figure out what is calling me. I know it's not like me, but I need to ask you if I may go? I can't resist this call any longer." Tui and Sina glanced over at each other in surprise. Well, knowing Moana, they shouldn't have been so surprised. This was Moana, she was naturally adventurous.

After a long pause, Tui stood and hugged Moana tightly.

"Alright, Moana. If this is what you must do, then go."

"You mean it?"

"Of course. Your grandmother is right. Go, but be careful. We'll be waiting." With a nod of approval, Moana began packing her things and getting her canoe ready.

As she pushed it out to sea, a large glowing stingray sat waiting nearby. Knowing who it was, Moana followed the ray out beyond, hoping this was truly the right decision.

The ray ended up guiding her to an island she'd never seen before. She was slightly confused but went with it. Before she could make a comment about it, a hawk landed next to her, in a flash of purple light, Maui appeared.

"Long time no talk, Non-Princess!" Moana rolled her eyes, she knew that was never going away. She gave the Demi-God a smile, "Hello to you too, Maui." She began pushing back the shrubbery and tree branches, Maui followed her and made more of an effort to create a path for her.

"So what are you doing here exactly? If I may ask?"

"I was guided here to find something -or someone-, I need their help."

"Riiiight, so you travel to mysterious island hoping a stranger can help you with a problem of yours." Moana shot him a look, "Sorry. But seriously. Why?"

"My grandmother encouraged me to. The stars and the sea were calling out to me so this was the only way to stop it. I have chief duties back home and I can't really be distracted."

"But you've been doing wayfinding! And I've been helping!"

"I know, and I greatly appreciate it, but I really do need to do this."

"Alright, I'll help." She raised an eyebrow. "Really? That was fast."

"I've gotten used to your antics, give me some credit." She once again rolled her eyes and continued pushing through the jungle. If this island was inhabited by a village, they certainly didn't do the greatest job caring for the plants surrounding. In fact, as they walked past the fields, their crop was gone. And the huts looked abandoned. Maui was equally confused.

"Looks like the entire village just up and left."

"Yeah. I wonder-" She was cut off by rustling in the forest. The duo got ready to fight whatever was about to burst out when a teenaged boy came running from the woods with several boars chasing him.

"I'm sorry! I'm sorry!" The boy cried out, climbing up onto the roof of a hut to escape, seeing their enemy get to a place they couldn't, the boars snorted and stalked away. "Whew… That was-" The roof collapsed and fell on top of him. He sat up and coughed. Maui began clapping.

"Bravo! Bravo! Truly a spectacle!" Moana elbowed him in the gut and strode over to help the boy up.

"Are you okay?" She asked kindly, holding her hand out for him. He grabbed it and stood up, slightly wobbling before steadying himself. The boy brushed himself off, removing twigs and plant matter from his unruly hair. He coughed again, nodded and brushed his tunic off. "Yeah thanks." He turned to face her and gave her a huge grin.

"I'm Keoni. It means-"

"Righteous one. Good to meet you, Keoni. I'm Moana, of Motunui."

"Really?! I've heard a lot about you! You're the one who restored the Heart of Te Fiti!" Moana scoffed and brushed her hair back.

"Ah, yeah! That's me!" There was a few minutes of awkward silence, then Maui jumped in. "And I'm Maui! Demi-God of the wind and sea! Hero of men! And women!" He winked at the two and they shared a look that was a mix of "so-done-with-this" and "seriously?" Keoni gave Maui an incredulous look and raised an eyebrow.

"Maui who?" He remarked with a touch of sass. It took everything in Moana to not laugh. _I just met this guy and I like him._

"Maui here helped me restore the Heart. He taught me how to wayfind."

"That's really cool!" Maui winked again and Keoni just rolled his eyes.

"So, what happened to your village? Where is everyone?" Keoni shrugged sadly.

"I don't know where they went. During the time when darkness was spreading, everyone decided to leave and find a new island. A storm struck and I fell off the canoe. The ocean took me back here, and this is where I've been the past three years."

"Alone..?" Moana asked cautiously. Keoni nodded sadly.

"I don't really have company. Give or take some of the animals left behind here… And the stars. The stars are the only friends I've had. But it's so comforting to see people again. I thought I'd be alone forever."

"Can't you sail out?" Keoni gave a sheepish look.

"I… Don't know how to sail. I never learned nor was I taught. I've been trying to teach myself with the only canoe left here, but I haven't gotten anywhere, literally." He laughed a little, but Moana could see he was hurting, and she felt great pity for him. Moana turned to talk to Maui, and a large gecko scurried out from another abandoned hut into Keoni's arms. The two gave him a questioning look, Keoni shrugged.

"This is Ahulani. She's my pet gecko. Playful thing. She's great." As Keoni played with his gecko friend, Moana turned to Maui.

"We need to help him, Maui! He's been alone for three years, he deserves it." Maui nodded.

"I agree. The poor kid. I know what he's feeling."

"I know you do. What should be our first plan of action?" Maui didn't initially respond. He watched as Keoni went over to a smaller hut, probably his, sit down, and cradle something in his hands. Curious, Maui walked over to the boy to see what he was looking at.

"Whatcha looking at there, kiddo?" Keoni looked up, slightly startled, and tucked whatever it was away, out of sight. "What was that you were holding?"

"Ehehe, nothing! It was nothing!" Moana saw it next. She snuck behind him and picked up a pearly white stone, sizable enough that it fit comfortable in the palm of her hand. It had a slight glow to it, and several holes carved into the stone to resemble a constellation she was familiar with.

"What is this?" Keoni shrugged.

"I don't know. I found it after being washed ashore here. I don't know what it is or what its purpose it. Interesting thing is that it can't seem to be blemished in any way. Which is good I guess." Moana looked at the stone with curiosity, it felt smooth under her fingers, satisfying to the touch. She couldn't help but admire the tiny holes and little designs carved into the stone. She glanced over at Maui who had a look of slight disbelief.

"Maui? What's with the face?"

"I know that stone." Keoni perked up, his eyes widening.

"You do? What is it?"

"It's the Maa fetu o le Atua."

"Star stone of the Gods? What do you mean by that?" Keoni questioned. Moana gave Maui the stone to look at more closely. Maui sighed.

"This stone forms the Matariki star cluster. Where all the Gods came from before they settled down on the Earth. Without this, that means there's no Matariki. Keoni, when did you say this came to Earth?"

"I… Don't really know. I do remember a shooting star the night I was separated from my family, and like a whole bunch of stars vanished a short time afterwards." Moana gave them both a very confused expression.

"You're telling me that when this stone fell from the sky, a whole bunch of stars vanished?"

"Exactly."

"Maui? What does this mean?"

"Without the Matariki, wayfinding will become more difficult, once one group of stars vanish, others follow. That means you'll lose track of where you are, become lost, and never find your way home again. And for the Gods, without this stone, their way to the heavens is gone too. We have to get this back to the God of the Stars, stat."

"Where is he?"

"Motu o nga Whetu. It's going to take some time to get there with stars disappearing." Keoni ran to a small cliff and pulled out a large canoe with difficulty, "We can use this canoe!" Moana inspected it, she climbed aboard and walked about to make sure there was no rotting wood. As she stepped off, her foot broke through.

"Ah!" She yelped. Keoni rushed forward and grabbed her arm, "Are you okay?" He asked, concerned. She nodded and hopped down, she glanced down at her foot, and saw some minor scrapes, and a few splinters. She sucked in a breath through her teeth. Maui came over to inspect it, said it would heal, and gave Keoni a glare, clearly saying _"Hurt her and you deal with me."_

Noticing the looks the two men were exchanging, Moana nimbly escaped and went to the shore. She knew the ocean, it would help them on their journey. Wherever Motu o nga Whetu was, the ocean would have to help guide them if the stars were disappearing. The ocean reached itself forward to touch her injured foot, despite its sting, Moana could feel the small scrapes beginning to heal.

She came to realization that sailing during the day would probably be a better idea, if the stars were vanishing, and making voyaging difficult at night, sailing during the day was safer.

"I have an idea." She stated, turning around. Keoni and Maui looked up at her, Keoni looking cheerful and Maui looking slightly grumpy, "I think that we should sail during the day, since sailing by night might be a little dangerous without the stars to guide us. Maui? What do you think?" He gave her a raised eyebrow, then perked up.

"Okay! That works for me! Especially given it's safer. But looking at the sky now, we'll have to wait till morning." The sun was beginning to set, with the dark veil of night looming overhead, and the first few stars twinkling overhead.

"Works for me." Keoni grinned. Moana couldn't help but notice that he appeared to be a little anxious. She decided to talk to him later.

With night having fallen, Maui was off exploring the island on his own, hauling his fishhook on his shoulders of course. While he was busy, Moana joined Keoni by the fire they had set up.

"Hey there." He glanced up at her shyly, still holding the Star Stone in his hands, rolling it around in his palms.

"Hey…"

"You okay?" He shook his head and sighed.

"I just want off this place. I've been so alone for three years, I mean, it's great that you and Maui are here, don't get me wrong, but this island holds bad memories… I just wish to leave them behind. Admittedly it hasn't been that horrible, the crop was pretty good, but as of late, it's been hard farming all on my own. I've been trying to do the best I can…" Moana placed a hand on his shoulder comfortingly.

"It's okay, Keoni. You have us now. After we return the Star Stone, you can come back with me to Motunui and stay. My village will be more than happy to give you a home." He gave her a hopeful look.

"You mean that?" She nodded.

"Every word. No one deserves to be alone." Before Keoni could reply, they noticed the fire beginning to die down a little bit. Moana stood up immediately and went to get some more leaves and twigs, and whatever else she could find to keep the fire going.

While she was gone, Ahulani crawled over onto Keoni's leg and looked up at him, blinking her eyes.

"I don't know, Ahu… Could I really accept her offer?" The gecko rolled her eyes and made a noise resembling a groan. "Well excuse me. It's been a few years since anyone's ever offered me anything. I don't know what to do!" The gecko gave him a frustrated glare. He didn't need to be telepathic to know she was saying " _You boy, are impossible."_

"Keoni? You help me out? I got a lot of kindling here." Moana stumbled out of the woods, her head completely hidden by the leaves and twigs she'd found. He couldn't help but chuckle as he took an armful and walked back over to the fire and began adding the kindling.

"Is there any food here we could pack for tomorrow?" She asked casually.

"Wha-? Oh, yeah, follow me." He lead her to an old hut, food storage. It seemed to be in decent condition. As the pair sorted through all the meat and fruit they could pack, Keoni couldn't help but think about Moana's offer. He could live on Motunui… Surrounded by a happy, loving village where everyone took care of each other, their leaders were kind and wise. And he was lucky enough to know the future chief; he felt incredibly honored. He didn't desire power at all though, he only desired to be with a kind, loving village. Maybe find a new family too if he was truly lucky enough.

"All I want is to be a part of a family again…" He said to himself quietly.

"What was that?" Moana's voice asked.

"Huh? Oh, nothing… Just, talking to myself." Turning his head around to face her, she had already filled up a sack of food and was exiting the hut.

"When you're done, just come meet me by the fire! Maui should be back by now!" As she walked off, he couldn't help but notice her abalone necklace. It complemented her outfit and her eyes. He could only feel admiration for her. This girl, had trekked dangerous seas to save her people, succeeded, and was back at it again to save wayfinding. She was a force to be reckoned with. There was one thing he wanted from her, if she was willing to; teach him how to sail. He didn't want to be a burden on her or Maui, them having to sail for him. He wanted to learn, desperately.

He finished packing the last of his sack of food and ran back to the fire.

"H-hey, Moana?" He reluctantly began, she turned her head to face him.

"Yes?"

"I-I was wondering… If maybe perhaps… You, could maybe teach me how to sail? I hear you're a master wayfinder, both you and Maui, but I would love to learn from you…" The smile grew wider and wider on her face.

"Of course! I'd love to teach you! We'll get started first thing tomorrow, though. Okay?"

"Oh yeah, okay, that works!" He wanted to say more, but he didn't want to babble too much. So they set out their tapa blankets and settled down for the night.

 **{So longer chapter than the last, I know, a lot of stuff is going on, I'll edit it if I need to. The plot itself is still a work in progress. But I hope you guys like this story so far!}**


	3. Chapter 3

**So sorry about the long wait! I had some writers block, but I've gotten back into the roll and I have a friend helping me out with this. So I hope you enjoy, it's a shorter chapter, but I hope you like it regardless!**

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Chapter 3

"Rise and shine sleepyheads! Up and at 'em!" Maui's voice boomed, waking the pair of teenagers, and rather rudely. Keoni rolled over onto his back, groaned, and rubbed his eyes and pushed back his hair from his eyes.

"Ugh… Did you really need to yell…?" He grumbled. Next to him, Moana appeared equally disgruntled for the rude awakening. Her hair was slightly messy, but she yanked her fingers through it, combing it out.

She was quick to recover, sat up and began packing up the food and other supplies and approached a path in the forest before stopping and turning around, "Keoni? Come on, it's time to head out."

"Okay, I'll follow you." They grabbed the rest of their provisions, other belongings and set it into the canoe and sailed out. Maui turned into his hawk form and flew above them, knowing the direction of where to go, and lead the canoe in the right direction.

Keoni watched carefully as Moana demonstrated her sailing skills. She showed him how to do specific things on the boat in order to keep it going. Everything she did to sail was fascinating, and he wanted to match her skills one day. As he kept Ahulani entertained, the sun traveled across the sky until it began to dip below the horizon, splashing vibrant colors as it set. Maui rejoined the two and halted the wind so the boat would stay in place and not go off path.

"You've been pretty quiet today, guys." Maui remarked. Moana shrugged.

"Been focused. Tomorrow I'm going to start teaching Keoni what you've taught me. I can see it in his eyes of how much he wants to sail." She glanced over at Keoni who appeared to be sleeping, or trying to sleep. Moana made her way over to him slowly, resting by his side while she tried to decide if he was awake or not.

"Keoni," She whispered, nudging him softly with her elbow, "Are you sleeping?" His closed eyes fluttered open as he rolled to his side, looking up at her with an irritated glance.

"Well not anymore," he muttered, rubbing his eyes lazily. She stuck her tongue out at him stubbornly as he sat up, looking around at the blackened sky and calm waters. "Wow, um, where are we?" Moana smiled mischievously after he had spoken, perking up ever so slightly.

"What a great question!" She said enthusiastically, earning a smile from Keoni as he watched her dramatically gesture to the sky. "Your first lesson as a wayfinder starts now, and that is, knowing where you've been to know where you are."

"What makes you think I want to be a wayfinder?" Keoni said, now captivated by the millions of stars contrasting with the dark sky. He had his head tilted back, leaning his body the same direction while he supported himself with his outstretched arms. Moana mimicked his stance, watching the stars with him.

"Just a hunch," She said softly, noticing the way he seemed so lost in the sky.

"Well you got me there," he chuckled, "So how am I supposed to find where I was? Or, I mean, where we are."

"Through the stars, the constellations," Moana replied, searching for some noticeable patterns before them to point out to Keoni. "Like that one over there! That's um… wait no, no that's not it." She paused for a moment, recollecting on her knowledge of the stars. "Oh! There's one! It's… um…"

"Did you _forget_ the constellations?" Maui commented from the other side of the canoe, overhearing Moana's confused tone.

"Maui, look at the sky," she said, her tone colored with concern. Maui, though confused, tilted his head back and scanned the stars just as the other two were doing.

"Oh no," he muttered.

"Oh no what?" Keoni inquired, he glanced over at his two friends watching the sky worriedly. "Guys? What's wrong?"

"The stars… I think-" Moana began, her eyes wide with worry.

"The stars we need are gone. We're lost." Maui announced.

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 **Hope you enjoyed! And please do leave a review! I love my feedback and let me know if there is something specific you wish to see in the story**


	4. Chapter 4

"The stars are gone!" Moana cried out. She smacked her forehead and pinched the bridge of her nose. "How?! How could this happen?! How do stars just disappear?" Maui set his hand on her shoulder to calm her down. Keoni took a few steps back to give his friend some space.

"Easy, Curly." Maui assured, "We'll figure this out. It'll be dawn soon, we can keep moving forward. There are some islands we can stop by."

"Maui, the stars are disappearing! If they keep going out, we won't have any stars to navigate with!"

"Moana, I know. We need to think rationally first, let's not get ahead of ourselves." Moana groaned.

"Great."

"Well, while we wait for dawn, you two get some shuteye. I'll keep watch." Maui offered. He winked at the two and sat down, setting his hook across from him. Mini Maui just gave a huge grin. Seeing that for the first time weirded Keoni out.

"His tattoos are alive…" He gasped.

"That's Mini Maui," Moana informed him, "He's like Maui's conscience." Keoni made her a face. "It's not normal for tattoos to move."

"He's a Demi-God, Keoni. He doesn't go by natural law you know." Keoni shrugged and sat next to her.

"I guess you're right." He let his feet skim across the water's surface. It felt cool to the touch, and he watched as the ocean seemed to move, like it had a mind of its own. The ocean reared up and turned its 'attention' to Moana, who grinned broadly.

"Ocean!" Keoni watched the spectacle in disbelief. Moana talked to the ocean, as if it was a normal person, just another friend of hers. Now Keoni was freaked out. He was sailing with a Demi-God whose tattoos were alive, and his new friend was friends with the ocean, which acted like a normal person. Out of all the bizarre things he had seen in his life, the events that happened in the past two days took the cake. He couldn't believe it.

"Are you okay, Keoni?" Moana asked. He nodded slowly.

"Oh, uh, yeah… I'm fine, just… I didn't think the ocean had a mind of its own. It's kinda freaking me out." Moana shrugged, but she appeared to be amused by Keoni's expression.

"What's so funny?" She snickered and shook her head, and the ocean mimicked her movements.

"Just you! The way you're reacting to everything!" Keoni furrowed his eyebrows.

"It's not funny, Moana! I've had a pretty messed up life over the past three years and now all of a sudden all this supernatural stuff is happening and it's hard to wrap my head around it! Give me a break." She looked at him surprised, not expecting his outburst. She held her hands up in defense and apologized.

"Sorry, Keoni. I didn't mean to offend you." Keoni sighed, he knew she didn't mean what she said, he knew it wasn't meant to be taken personally, but it did kind of hurt, it was all true, but he wouldn't admit that. There was a lot of stuff he didn't want to admit. Not in front of his friends anyway.

"It's fine…"

Within the new couple hours, the sunrise came, casting pastel pink and yellow across the sky. The stars began to fade, and Keoni felt exhausted. He had not slept well the past few days and he felt out of it.

The group hadn't been sailing for at least three hours when they found themselves at a small island. It was surrounded with thick reefs, and caves dotted the sides of the cliffs. Thick forests covered it, but there were massive stones everywhere. It was overcast with thick, dark clouds, not a very positive feeling.

"Where are we?" Keoni asked breathlessly. He spied a hibiscus plant and noticed the brilliant red, coral pink and yellow flowers that dotted the green. While Moana and Maui headed off in one direction, Keoni went to the hibiscus plant, and looked for the best flower he could find. It was as vibrant as Moana's personality, and he decided he wanted to give it to her. As a friend, he only thought of her as a friend, and considered giving her a flower a kind gesture. He didn't want to give her the wrong impression.

He held the flower carefully so as to not bruise the petals. He followed their footprints in the sand until he saw them observing a large cave that opened up to a large cove.

"Hey guys!" He greeted cheerfully. They jumped slightly and whipped around to face him. He jumped back as well and held up one hand in defense while holding the flower in the other.

"Don't do that!" Maui snapped. Keoni held his breath and shut his mouth. "Look, you two stay out here and wait while I go check it out in there, don't wanna risk either of you hurting yourselves in some way." The teenagers nodded and waited while Maui trekked inside the cave alone.

"Moana?" She glanced up at him from fixing her dress.

"Yes?" He shyly handed her the flower. He smiled as she took it and tucked it into her hair. "Thank you, Keoni. That's sweet of you." He winked.

"The colors are as vibrant as your personality." She chuckled.

"Easy on the flirting there." He eyed her confused. Wait, he was flirting?

"I… Was flirting? Huh?" She made eye contact with him. Didn't he know what flirting was? Didn't he know a bunch of girls from his old village? How could he not realize he was flirting?

"You don't know what flirting is?" He shook his head.

"No…? Should I?" She sighed.

"I'll explain later. We should look for Maui, he's been gone awhile." She started towards the cave but Keoni held her back. He looked unsure.

"But Maui told us to wait for him."

"Keoni, he should have been back by now. Something's not right." She pushed past him and made her way inside. He saw her struggling to navigate the dark, so he created a makeshift torch and followed her in.

The caves were decorated with carvings and paintings. The island had once been inhabited, but it was obvious they left well before Te Ka was defeated. They must have migrated elsewhere, which was odd, but it didn't really matter. The village must have disintegrated or was overgrown. Either way, the old huts were likely gone, so shelter wasn't much of an option here.

"Maui?" Moana called out, neither of them could see much, it was dark in this cave, and Keoni began feeling his stomach twist up, "Maui! Are you here?! Where are you?"

"MOANA!" Maui's voice echoed through the cave. The teenagers looked back each other, both feeling chills run down their spines. They bolted, being careful to not trip over rocks in their path, and not to drop the torch.

"Maui!" Keoni called out. He leapt over a large rock, just managing to avoid getting a nasty cut to his thigh.

Moana came to a sudden stop, holding her arms out for balance, to which Keoni promptly ran right into her, and they fell into the chasm below.

Their fall was broken by something soft, scaly, and a little slimy.

"Ew ew ew ew ew!" Moana cried, struggling to move, but she rolled off and hit a muddy floor. She cringed as her feet touched various lumps within the mud. She recoiled and tried to not lose control of her stomach.

"Eugh!" Keoni did the same and rushed to her side. The floor was absolutely disgusting. It was muddy, and their legs were coated with mud. He wanted to rub the mud off his legs with his hands but he refused to touch it.

Whatever they hit on the way down began to move. The pair looked up in horror as a massive, snake-like creature lifted its head to look down at them. In the middle of its coiled up body, Maui was trapped. He was still struggling to free himself, but his only problem was that he couldn't reach his hook, which was on the other side of the cavern, stuck in a pile of rocks.

"Kids! Get out of here!" Maui cried. "Ah!" He yelped as the creature hissed and snapped at his face.

"What is that thing?!" Keoni shouted, jumping over the creature's tail as it whipped towards them.

"It's a Taniwah!" Maui responded, "These guys are dangerous!"

"How'd you end up like that?" Moana asked, trying to figure out how to free him from the Taniwah's coiled up body.

"I fell into its lair and now it's trapped me. My hook is on the other side of the room, without it I can't transform! You need to get it to me so we can get out of here!" Keoni leapt into action and started running across the room, somehow avoiding slipping and falling facefirst into the mud. But the Taniwah slithered across the floor and held its body as a barrier between Keoni and the hook.

"Keoni no! You're going to get killed!" Moana cried out, running over, but the Taniwah moved yet again, blocking her. "Hey!" She snapped, "Get out of my way!" She began furiously kicking and punching the Taniwah's scaly body, but it didn't even flinch.

"Moana stop! It's no use! It doesn't feel pain!" Meanwhile Keoni climbed over the Taniwah's body and almost reached the hook before-

 _SMACK_

"AHHHHH!" He cried as he flew across the room and landed hard against the wall. The Taniwah let loose a sound that resembled a mocking laugh. Keoni sat up and groaned in pain. He didn't see its tail flying at him. And it hurt, bad.

"Owwwwww…" He groaned again. He rubbed the back of his shoulder, and pulled it back, and his fingers were covered in blood. He turned his head and saw the rocks also covered with some blood too. His shoulder hurt like nothing else, and he couldn't move it. It was probably broken.

"Moana! I think my shoulder's broken!" He called out to her, ripping the edge of his tunic off and pressing it to his shoulder, trying to stop the bleeding.

"Hold on Keoni!" Moana bolted and began throwing rocks and other matter at the Taniwah's face, hoping to distract it from hurting Keoni more or actually hurting Maui too. It was on her now. The Taniwah made a growling-like sound, almost like a pig's grunt, but deeper and more growly. It made her shudder but she ignored it. She began running around it, occasionally glancing over her shoulder to see its grip on Maui loosened, giving him the chance to break free and get his hook.

Suddenly the Taniwah lunged at her, but she jumped up so now she was on its head. It was covered with disgusting slime, and the head itself was hard, which didn't make it better to stand still. It rolled its eyes up hoping to see her, but she was in its blind spot.

"Mo! I have my hook! Come on!" Maui called out.

"I'm a little busy here! Get Keoni out of here before he gets hurt further!"

"Moana!"

"Just go! I'll be fine! Remember, I defeated Tamatoa! This shouldn't be too hard!" Maui tried to argue, but he knew it was no use. While she was busy distracting the Taniwah, Maui ran over to Keoni, transformed into his hawk form, picked Keoni up and set him back down on the ledge, transforming back.

"Hey little man, are you okay?" He asked, concerned. Keoni grimaced and pulled his hand from his shoulder, revealing a long, deep cut on the back of his shoulder. It was maybe two or three inches long. It didn't seem too deep or wide, but it looked painful. And Keoni couldn't move his shoulder very much without crying out in pain.

"Once Moana's back, we'll get you back to the boat and patch you up."

Suddenly, Moana came flying up to the ledge and she grabbed it. Maui saw her and pulled her up.

"You hurt?"

"No, I'm fine."

"How on earth did you get up here?" Keoni asked in disbelief. There had easily been a 90 foot drop into that cavern. It was still miracle either of them survived falling even if they did land on something somewhat soft.

"It flung me up here. I threw a rock into its head and it howled in pain. You didn't hear that?" The men shook their heads.

"Well it flung me up here. Alright now come on, let's get back to the boat. We all need to wash off that nasty mud."

"And patch Keoni up, he's got a pretty bad cut there."

The group made it back to the boat, and Ahulani crawled over and inspected the wound herself while Moana fetched the little medical supplies she'd brought with her. She went back to Keoni and looked at the wound and cleaned it with salt water. She then stitched it up and stuck a bandage to his skin the best way she could, and then wrapped another around his chest and shoulders.

"Try not to use this arm too much, okay?"

"I'll try."

The remainder of the day was just keeping an eye on the bandage so that it didn't come off. That evening, they made another stop at a tiny island where they made camp. Maui went elsewhere, leaving Keoni alone with Moana.

* * *

 **Wow this ended up being way longer than I anticipated. But I hope y'all liked the bit of action there! And Keoni' unintentional flirting ;D**

 **I enjoy reviews! Thanks!**


	5. Chapter 5

**Another relatively short chapter, just the two of them talking together, I plan on more of these peaceful moments for these two. I hope you enjoy!**

* * *

The moon rose, and he sat on the edge of the beach, letting the ocean touch his toes. He hunched his knees up and wrapped his arms around them -the best he could- and watched the moonlit covered water lap onto shore in silence. He hadn't seen such a peaceful night with someone in a while…

Watching the moon and the stars brought some comfort to him, he used to do this all the time with his older sister, Huihana _(lily, lotus in Samoan)._ They used to goof around together all the time. Sometimes they'd come home well after dark, and their mother, T'ali'au _("my answer" in Samoan)_ would give them a little scolding before sending them off to bed.

He missed his mom and sister. He didn't know where they were and he wished he did. He wished the gods would somehow tell him they were alive. His mom and sister were his only family, his father was unknown. He remembered his sister being a strong, smart girl when they were growing up. Her arm tattoos gave the illusion that physically, she was stronger than what others expected. Huihana was stubborn, and cared for her little brother.

His mother was kind and a little soft-spoken at times, but she was firm with her own beliefs and was protective of her children. Keoni remembered her being morally strong, and he admired that about her.

"Whatcha thinking about?" Moana interrupted his thoughts. She sat next to him and smiled warmly at him, "You like to do this too? Yeah, it's peaceful isn't it?"

"It is… I'm, I'm just thinking about my mom and sister."

"Not an only child?" He shook his head.

"No."

"What were they like?"

"My sister… Heh, you would've liked her. She was smart, witty, and strong. She loved messing with people. We used to play jokes on villagers all the time. Sometimes we'd come back home well after dark and our mother would scold us and send us off to bed. We snuck out of our home in the middle of the night to stargaze." Moana smiled.

"That sounds nice. I bet they were wonderful."

"They were. I just wish I knew where they were. Or if they're still alive somewhere…"

"You'll find them, Keoni. I'll help you find them. If, in which case they aren't alive… I guess we'll just figure out things from there."

"I know… I'm just scared. I don't like being alone. After three years of being alone-"

"You need to be around people, I understand, and it's okay. For me it's kinda the opposite, I mean, I'm going to be the chief of my village within a year, and I need to be in constant communication with them, but sometimes I really enjoy my alone time dancing. There's a mountaintop near our village where every new chief puts a stone atop others to signify his chiefdom, I put a shell there, signifying a new age of voyagers, and often times after coming back from voyages, I go up to that mountaintop, I can see all the village and the ocean from up there, and… It brings calm, it allows me to think." She smiled as she thought about her future. The ceremony itself, what it was going to be like, and the waves of happiness emitted from the villagers. She couldn't wait, and she knew that at night, she would go up to the mountain to talk to the stars and the sea, let loose her thoughts, meditate when she was stressed, anything. And she found that she actually enjoyed talking to Keoni, he was a good listener, and she liked that.

"I can't imagine the responsibilities of being a chief." He remarked, putting his good arm behind him and keeping the injured one resting on his knees. He blew his hair out of his eyes, "Having an entire village rely on you for support, helping people with problems. The responsibilities must feel like a weight on your shoulders." Moana shrugged.

"They can be intimidating at times, but I've been preparing for chiefdom my whole life, and I love helping my people, and I also love to sail and explore, and I've found ways to do both. It hasn't been easy, but it's worked."

The pair sat in silence for some time, admiring the night sky and the array of stars. They would occasionally point out constellations or stars that were odd colors, it was a nice way of passing time. Eventually, they grew tired, they lazily stood, walked back over to the fire, lay down their tapa blankets, plopped down, and fell asleep within minutes. Overhead, the stars twinkled goodnight.


	6. Chapter 6

Chapter 6

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" _Keoni! Come on! We don't have much time!" An older feminine voice called out._

" _Hey! Wait up!" The sound of feet running across grass and ground filled the air. Keoni found himself sprinting across the beach to catch up with the canoes, some of them had already sailed out._

 _A hand shot out and grabbed Keoni's hand and pulled him onto the boat's deck. Huihana was out of breath but she had a smile on her face as she patted his back._

" _Hey bro, are you okay?" Keoni nodded his head rapidly and brushed himself off. He turned to watch the island they called home begin to be dotted with black patches of dying plants. It was unsightful and Keoni couldn't believe this was happening. His island was dying and his village was escaping._

" _I don't know." He answered softly, crossing his arms. Huihana approached him and placed a hand on his shoulder, "I know it's hard, but we're going to be okay. We'll find a healthier island-"_

" _But we're leaving everything we know behind, Huihana!"_

" _It is hard doing something like this, La'u pele. But your tuafafine is right, we will find a healthier island and we're going to make it." T'ali'au assured. She knew her son was stressed out; his crush had turned him down, a friend of his died due to the diseased island, and now his village was leaving in a mass exodus to escape. It was all a lot to process._

" _I know… I'm just scared." Hours passed, and nothing particularly exciting was happening. Some kids on other boats were playing games or dancing around, some mothers were repairing torn clothing or having conversations with one another._

 _The village wasn't even a day from their island when a bolt of lightning struck too close to the chief's boat. Within an instant, chaos erupted. The sea turned violent and the sky became black with clouds, being lit up with lightning. A couple boats were overturned, tossing its passengers into the violent sea. Red dotted the water, and supplies floated to the surface._

 _Keoni was horrified. How could mother nature be so hateful? He just witnessed his own people die._

 _As he was processing what was going on, a massive wave rose over his boat and barreled towards him. Keoni's reaction time was not enough. By the time he realized what was going on, it was too late. The force of the water hitting him felt like a pile of stones crushing his chest. He screamed in agony, but nothing came out._

" _KEONI!" A gurgled scream came from the surface. His mother and sister screamed his name but he couldn't call back to them. Water filled his lungs as the water threw him around like a rag doll. He could swim, but it was no use. The water suddenly pushed him to the surface, he coughed up the water and took a breath to silence his screaming lungs, which were burning with pain now. As the seas continued to throw him around, he could not find his villages' canoes. They were gone and he was lost at sea._

" _NO!" He wailed. He tried swimming more, but he eventually gave up and held onto a piece of driftwood and clung to it for dear life. Little did he know, not too far away, a teenaged girl was being knocked off by her own boat and onto a certain Demi-God's lost island._

* * *

"AUGH!" Keoni shrieked. His body sat up like a jack-in-the-box. His hair was tussled from the nightmare and bags were under his eyes. He'd never had such a vivid nightmare before in his life, not since being knocked off his family's boat.

"Keoni! Are you okay?" Moana came to his side and rubbed his back. "Easy there, easy… You're okay."

"I had a nightmare." He gasped out, his eyes still wide. His face was petrified in fear, he couldn't seem to move it. After a few seconds, his expression loosened a bit and he rubbed his cheeks, bringing some color back to his face. He took a few ragged breaths and he then seemed to relax just slightly. "What was it about?" She asked him softly, sitting down next to him.

"My village… The night I was separated from them. I nearly drowned that night, in one moment everything was taken away from me…" A tear escaped his glassy eyes and rolled down his cheek. He took in a shaky breath and rubbed the tear away, not wanting his friend to see him cry.

"Oh Keoni, it's okay to cry. That was a traumatizing for you… It's okay. You're safe now. I promise you." She held him in her arms and whispered soothing words in his ear. His tensed up body relaxed and he settled his head in the crook of her shoulder and cried softly.

* * *

 **Well, there's that! I'm trying not to rush the story, so I'm struggling with this part just a bit. But so far, I'm glad how everything is going. I hope you all do too!**


	7. Chapter 7

Chapter 7

* * *

Keoni was frustrated with himself, he hated feeling the way he was feeling and he didn't want to burden Moana with his problems. But something inside pushed him to talk.

"Moana… I'm alone in the world. I have no family anymore, I'm an orphan. I nearly drowned and I lived alone on my dying island for three years, which now I'm not even sure how that was possible. Sheer luck I guess..." Moana pursed her lips, she was unable to figure out how to help her friend. Where her hand rested, she could feel his body tremble. She glanced over at his left shoulder, the one that was broken, and the cloth covering the wound looked like it needed to be changed. In the silence, she changed the wound's dressing and adjusted the sling that kept his shoulder in place. It had only been a few days since his shoulder was broken, it would take a few more weeks before it fully healed.

"I'm sorry, Keoni. I wish I could help… But I don't know how to… Is there anything I can do?" He shifted his eyes up at her quickly then darted away back to the deck of the boat. It was clear he was feeling ashamed of something.

"Keoni… Talk to me." She kept her eyes on him as she went back to keeping the boat in line with the sun. He leaned against the mast, his arms were crossed and his eyes were cast down. "Keoni? What's wrong?"

"I-it's not you… I just… It's hard to describe what I'm feeling. That nightmare, it was a horrible memory that I want to forget but I can't." Moana smiled in sympathy, she knew there wasn't much she could do, but what she could do was support him and help him in whatever way possible.

There was a long pause and the pair stayed quiet. Maui stayed above them, keeping an eye on them and the horizon. The atmosphere was tense and no one could find anything to say. Moana didn't understand what was going on. Something happened to Keoni that he refused to talk about, but she wasn't going to force him to talk.

The sky darkened midday with an approaching storm. Maui landed on the boat and assisted Moana with securing the mast and sail. Keoni remained quiet, his movements were very stiff and limited, and his eyes remained downcast.

The boom of thunder snapped him out of whatever was running through his mind. He watched the heroic duo navigate the waves with ease. He wanted to help them out, but he had no idea of what to do and he wanted to help, but they looked like they were doing okay.

A wave then rose above him and he found himself staring at his own reflection. A flash of lighting changed the image where Keoni saw his 14-year-old self, that was not what he had been expecting to see. Time seemed to stop in that second… The wave held still, looming over him, ready to crash.

"Keoni!"

" _Keoni!" His mother's voice rang in his ears._

" _KEONI!"_ The wave broke its hold and slammed him down to the deck of the boat. But before he could do anything, the storm passed as if it was never there.

"What just happened?" Moana's voice broke the silence. She and Maui observed the calming skies and seas, the towering waves fell back into the sea, and before long, the sea smoothed out.

"I realized I've been a burden." Keoni answered stiffly. Maui turned to face him in surprise. That wasn't even an answer.

"What do you mean?"

"I can't do anything to help you and I've only been thinking about how sad my life is. I've done nothing to help you on this journey. I might as well just drown right now." The passing storm didn't matter, something was wrong.

"Keoni! Don't say that. You're not a burden, you've never been one." Moana exclaimed, shocked Keoni would even say that.

"How do you know that? I can't sail and I've only been thinking about my family."

"There's nothing wrong with that." Luckily for them, they pulled up at a small island where they could rest. Keoni stalked off and sat down on the edge of a cliff overlooking the sea. All of his pain felt like a weight on his shoulders and nothing he did could take it away. He felt so angry for not being able to help much on the voyage, what was the point? He felt empty, he didn't know how to help himself.

"What's wrong with him?" Maui asked, raising an eyebrow in the boy's direction. The Demi-God was confused and concerned, he didn't know how to deal with mortal emotions like these.

"I don't know, but I'm going to talk to him. Maybe he just needs someone to confide in."

"Good luck with that, Curly. Doesn't look like he's going to open up easily."

"I'm aware of that. Not like you were much better anyway."

"I resent that." She stuck her tongue out at him and went out to talk to Keoni, hoping somehow she could comfort him and understand his thought process. She approached him and took a seat on a rock next to him and watched him. His eyes were locked onto the horizon, and his mouth was locked shut. The cool breeze blew at his hair. She affectionately pushed hair from his eye and rested her hand on his jaw. His eyes slowly turned to face her, and he opened his hand, revealing the Star Stone, still pearly white and unblemished.

"This thing, it's cursed me…"

"Maui said the same thing about the Heart of Te Fiti. I know this is hard for you, and I understand. When Maui and I went to go return the Heart of Te Fiti, it was not easy. I… I ended up thinking the ocean chose wrong to return the Heart. But I found myself and the courage to save my island and Te Fiti, and it worked."

"That it did. All it took was encouragement." Tala's glowing blue-white form glided up to them, and Keoni stared at her, unable to move.

"Wh- Who are you?"

"Gramma!" Moana exclaimed, running over to Tala and hugging her tightly.

"You're… Moana's grandmother?"

'That I am young man, and I'm happy to finally meet you. You've gone through quite a lot haven't you?" Keoni nodded, sheepishly rubbing the back of his neck.

"Yeah… Wait… If you're a spirit... I know this may sound crazy, but do you know where my mom and sister are? If you do, where can I find them?"

"Slow down, Keoni." Moana assured, resting her hand on his shoulder. Tala smiled at the both of them and sat down on the rock, inviting them to sit down next to her.

"Keoni, I know you have many thoughts running through your head, you have questions." Keoni nodded eagerly. "I do, I need to find my family, where are my mom and sister?" Tala shook her head.

"I am sorry, but I cannot answer that."

"Why? 'Cause you don't want to tell me?!"

"Keoni! Be respectful!"

"He is rightfully angry, Moana." Tala assured with a smile, she turned her attention back to the boy, "Keoni, I do not know where your sister is, but, your mother has passed on into the heavens. After the storm when you were separated, she fell gravely ill, and died of a broken heart. I am sorry, young man. I know this wasn't what you wished to hear…"

Keoni stared at Tala for a few moments, in his head, he was processing what she had said. His mother… Was gone? He sat back down on the rock stiffly, his hands trembling.

"Keoni…?" Moana asked tentatively, "... Are you okay?" He didn't respond, he was too shell shocked to say anything.

 _She can't be gone… There's no way… Why?_ Keoni thought. He didn't want to believe her, how could she-... No, just no.

"Give him some space, Moana." Tala told her, "He has a lot to think about."

"What can we do, grandma? What about the Star Stone? We need to get it back to where it belongs? And where is Motu o nga Whetu anyway? We've been traveling across the sea pretty much blind." Tala chuckled and sat down next to her granddaughter on a separate rock from Keoni's. Night had fallen by now, the sky was less brighter due to fewer stars, but it was still just as beautiful, the remaining stars twinkling brightly.

Tala pointed to a grouping of stars resting on the horizon, "Look there, Moana. Do you see those stars?" Moana nodded, observing the group, which formed a constellation, which was shaped like a star, which was kind of ironic; stars forming a constellation of a star, "That right there, is _loto o le fetu_. It will will guide you to Fetia, goddess of the stars."

"I thought it was a god."

"She is a goddess, and a marvelous one at that."

"So how is the Star Stone a part of her?" Manipulating the mist around her, Tala displayed the story.

"The Star Stone was the pendant that hung from Fetia's neck. As long as it was there, everything was in place. I know it seems odd, but that's what it is. The storm you were caught in, and the storm where Keoni was separated from his family, Fetia became angry with the god of the sea. In rage, the god of the sea ripped the Star Stone from Fetia's neck, causing it to fall into the sea."

"That's an interesting story. I would never have thought that's what happened. So how do you know this?"

"Fetia told me. She told me to guide you to meet Keoni. Keoni unknowingly was chosen

by the stars and the sea to set things right. I guided you to meet him so you could help him on his journey."

With the new information, the trio settled down for the night, but Keoni couldn't sleep, with his shoulder broken and being in shock, he cried for hours into the night, but kept his tears silent so Moana nor Maui would hear him. He didn't care if his response was natural, it still hurt… He wanted his family back.

* * *

 **Whoopdedoo y'all. Quite the wild chapter eh? Well I hope you guys are enjoying this so far! Please if you've got suggestions for what you think should happen next (cause I've gotten stuck with it) or just suggestions of interactions between the characters, lemme know in a review! No flames please, I'd really like constructive criticism.**


	8. Chapter 8

Chapter 8:

* * *

The dawn came, and more stars had vanished, but the sun was there as a guide, and they couldn't be too far from their destination. But the days seemed to become longer and longer, and Keoni was becoming more and more angry with himself, and Moana was worried for him.

Maui spent his time trying to cheer Keoni up, but the boy's face was stiff and stern. He was focused on their destination and he would occasionally play with the Star Stone, which was now wrapped with twine and hung around his neck for safety. Ahulani would crawl all over the deck, trying to keep her friend calm. However, Keoni was starting to improve his sailing. He and Moana would take turns piloting the canoe, and things seeme to be going well.

"I think we're just about here!" Maui called out. The pair of teenagers perked their heads up and only saw endless sea. Keoni groaned and rolled his eyes, "I don't see anything but ocean."

"Yeah, there's nothing here."

"Wait till the sun begins to set. I know we're here." Maui assured. He shifted into his shark form and dove under, vanishing into the deep blue depths. Pua grunted as he leapt into Moana's arms, suddenly frightened.

"What's gotten into you Pua?" She asked, stroking his soft hair. The pig squealed and began to squirm. Suddenly something hit the boat, knocking the two teenagers off their feet and Moana into the ocean. She broke the surface with a gasp for air, looking a little more than surprised.

"What was that?" Keoni reached out to pull her back up when she was yanked back and under the water. Pua managed to swim up and Keoni put him on the deck of the boat and looked for Moana.

"Moana!" He cried out desperately. He furiously scanned the water, looking for any signs of his friend. Maui came back up and re-transformed.

"Keoni! What's going on?"

"I don't know! Something hit the boat and Moana fell overboard and something pulled her under! I can't see her!" Maui dove under to look for her and hung in suspension. No way was he letting a monster take Moana away. He twisted his body all around looking for anything that might hint Moana was nearby. A flash of her red tapa, her hair. Her necklace. Nothing. Maui wouldn't give up so easily thought. Transforming into a fish, as he began swimming, something long and huge shot past him, scaring him slightly.

It was the Taniwah from days before. It held Moana in a vice-like grip, and her face was desperate as she kicked and punched at the scaly body, but the creature wouldn't budge. Maui broke the surface and waited for the Taniwah to appear. Keoni however looked at the surface of the water, wanting to help, perhaps dive into the water, but he couldn't swim with his broken shoulder blade. It made him frustrated he couldn't help, so he just leaned over with anticipation, and waited for something to happen.

Meanwhile Maui chased after the Taniwah, whacking it with his hook, eventually forcing it to let Moana go. Maui grabbed her and helped her onto the boat. She gasped for air as Keoni helped her up.

"Keoni! Moana! Get the boat moving! We don't have much time!" Maui cried, diving back under and chasing the Taniwah, moving it away from the teenagers. He did not expect the monstrous creature to have found them. What if it had been following them the entire time? Taniwah's couldn't be that smart…

Moana nodded and sprung into action despite having nearly drowned. For an instant, she forgot Keoni was there, she pulled the rope, the winds filled the sail and the boat moved. The sun was beginning to set, and the dark blue cover of night was falling fast. Time was running out. The stars were failing to appear, meaning before long they wouldn't have any stars to navigate with anymore.

However, the constellation Tala told her to follow remained, its reflection on the water could be seen for miles, and Moana realized what she had to do. Pulling at the rope, she directed the boat towards the stars' reflections. She knew something would happen once she got there.

Meanwhile, Keoni held onto the mast tightly, since the force of the boat was all over the place and he was trying not to fall off. Moana's face was locked in determination. The ocean itself pushed the canoe along as it made its way towards the reflection, and then, as the canoe got closer, she saw the reflection was not a reflection. They were pure white stones of assorted sizes, all forming the shape of the constellation. She slowed the canoe and it made its way inside the stones and held the canoe in place. She and Keoni looked around. Nothing was happening.

"What do we do now?" Keoni asked, feeling the water, expecting something different. When he pulled his hand up, it was only water. Moana shrugged.

"I don't know…" Suddenly, the white stones began to glow, sparkling sand coming from them. "What the-" Keoni gaped. The teenagers watched as this stardust-like substance swirled around the canoe until the shape was filled. Moana reached her foot over, and placed her foot down on the dust, and it was solid. She stepped off and smiled.

"It feels like warm sand!" She chuckled. Suddenly, a pillar of light appeared from nowhere, and as this happened, the Star Stone, wrapped in twine hung around Keoni's neck, lifted up and began trying to drift towards the pillar of light. He released it and it floated away, disappearing into the light with a bright glow.

Maui suddenly appeared behind them, out of breath. "Finally chased away the darn thing." He panted. He twirled his hook, and when he looked in the direction Moana and Keoni were looking, he fell to his knees. As the group watched, a feminine figure appeared to manifest. And in a small burst of light, a beautiful young woman appeared. Her hair was as white as the stars above, and her eyes glittered like stars themselves. Her tattoos stood out from her skin, and she was clothed in very light tapa cloth, colors Moana didn't think were possible. The figure smiled warmly as she approached the group. Suddenly, Keoni recognized something about her.

"M-mother…?" The goddess smiled at him and took his hands in hers.

"Yes, it is me… My son…" Eyes brimming with tears, Keoni threw his arms around her, not wanting to let go. The goddess rubbed his back in a comforting manner. Her expression was very motherly and Moana fell to her knees as well.

The goddess turned to the rest of them and touched a spot over her heart, where the Star Stone was. Held around her neck, wrapped in twine. She was truly a sight to behold.

"Fetia…" Moana breathed, nearly rendered speechless. Fetia slowly let go of Keoni but remained close to him. Moana approached Fetia.

"It… It is honor…" Fetia smiled, her pale eyes twinkling.

"I thank you all for returning the Star Stone to me. And for reuniting my son and I. The stars... Are restored." As if on command, in a wave of light, stars relit themselves in a massive wave across the sky. It truly looked like magic. Keoni got chills from the spectacle.

Fetia turned around again. "Thank you all once more. You have saved wayfinding, I couldn't be more proud." She shared hongi with Keoni, and then Moana before vanishing into the light once more. With the returned stars, the pair could easily see each other now. Before Moana could say anything, Keoni threw his arms around her, hugging her tightly.

"Thank you, Moana… Thank you…" Moana stood frozen for a moment, surprised by his movement, it was kinda cute considering he only had one currently functioning arm, but she hugged him back, knowing he needed it. While the two shared a tender moment, Maui smirked at them. At that moment, Maui had the nagging suspicion Keoni felt more than friendship to Moana.

The pair pulled apart and looked over at Maui, who lifted his necklace to reveal that a tattoo version of Keoni stood next to Mini Moana, and they were holding hands. Mini Maui grinned and winked, earning a reaction from Mini Keoni and Moana. Real Moana and Keoni both shared a chuckle and hugged Maui, who hugged back.

"Alright ya little Wayfinders, let's get you home."

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 **Don't worry y'all, this is not even close to the end of the story! There's plenty more to come! Also sorry if it's a little rushed.**


	9. Chapter 9

Chapter 9:

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The sun just began to rise over Motunui. A young woman with her hair tied into an elegant bun sat chatting with Sina, weaving baskets.

"I cannot say how grateful I am that I am here." The young woman said, finishing her basket and beginning a new one. Sina smiled at her and patted her shoulder.

"Of course, Huihana. It is our pleasure." The two women smiled and continue chatting, when Tui ran past them, his eyes wide.

"Tui! What is it?" Sina asked, standing up and brushing herself off. Tui gestured to the reef where a figure was approached. Sina gasped and began running behind him. Huihana wasn't sure what was going on, but she followed them.

The three reached the shore as the boat landed. Moana leapt off the boat and into her parent's arms, who held her in a tight family hug. When they pulled apart, Sina introduced Huihana to Moana.

"Nice to meet you, Huihana. I've heard a lot about you." Huihana raised a confused eyebrow. "Oh? How so?" Her question was answered when she saw a boy step off the boat, his left arm bandaged and held in a sling. He maintained his balance, and when he saw her, his eyes looked like they were about to fall out of their sockets.

"... H-Huihana…?" He choked out. Huihana didn't hesitant, she ran to him and pulled him into a tight hug, making him cry out in pain as she had hugged his injured arm.

"Keoni!" She exclaimed, beyond overjoyed. She couldn't believe it! Her little brother was alive! After three years of wondering and searching, she'd finally found him. She had almost given up, but now he was finally here, safe and sound.

"I'd been searching the world for you!" She told him, eyes brimming with tears. He was close to crying as well, hugging her again.

"I saw mom… She was the most stunning thing you could have ever seen. She was a goddess, she restored the stars. Wayfinding's saved!" He whooped. Huiahana laughed and grinned. "I am so proud of you." Sina and Tui were then introduced to him, Tui welcomed the siblings to Motonui, given their island was gone and they had nowhere to go, they would live on Motonui now, which made them both very grateful.

The siblings got their own hut near the chiefs'. As time went by, Huiahan proved to be a very hard worker, especially when it came to fishing. The fisherman admired her leadership, and Huihana ended up marrying one named Kaivai. In the meanwhile, Keoni struggled with his feelings toward Moana. They'd been such close friends for nearly a year now. Her 18th birthday approached, which meant she was going to be coronated as chief soon.

"Nervous for the ceremony?" Keoni asked one late afternoon. The sun was setting, casting deep pink and red shadows across the sea and sand. They sat on the shore together. Moana's birthday was in two weeks, and preparations for it had begun a month ago. Moana just shrugged.

"A little bit I guess. I've been preparing for it my whole life, so I know what's in store. But I am a little nervous." Keoni sighed and wrapped his arms around his legs. The scar from landing on the sharp rock remained, but he had since gotten a tattoo of the star constellation on his back that mostly covered the scar. Moana had to hold his hand the entire time. When the tattoo was done, he just lay there for a while, waiting for some of the pain to go away before he moved his arms. That was a fun time. Not.

"I don't know if I'd be the same way. I'd be a nervous wreck." Moana chuckled softly. She turned to watch him silently, allowing the breeze to blow through her hair. As she watched him, she noted his features. His hair, which had gotten a much-needed cut. His tattoos… And, embarrassing as it was to admit, his muscles. He had gained muscle in the past few months, it was quite nice to look at. He must've seen her staring because he snickered.

"W-what?" She asked, stuttering a little bit. He laughed and turned to face her with a smile on his face.

"If I didn't know any better, I'd assume you were into me." Moana scoffed and pushed back her hair, laughing nervously.

"Haha, what makes you assume-"

"You've been admiring me lately. I can tell. You've been complimenting me a lot lately too." Moana shrugged awkwardly, she wasn't going to deny it, there had been a growing attraction between them, her friends had been trying to encourage her to make a move since he wasn't, even Maui was encouraging her and he usually didn't care for this kind of thing. It was quite funny though, she had to admit.

"So what if I have?" It was his turned to shrug.

"I dunno. I mean, I'm not the son of any chief so it's not like we can be together even if we wanted." Moana smiled at him, moved closer and rested her head on his shoulder, giggling a little, earning a smirk from Keoni.

"You're adorably weird." He chuckled, tossing his head, moving his hair from his eyes, it made Moana blush harder, "Okay now you're doing that on purpose." Keoni raised an eyebrow, clearly teasing her. "Oh am I now?"

"Yes you are!" To tease her more, he "stretched", resting his arms behind his head, purposefully showing off his muscled arms, chest and abdomen. Given, it wasn't a ton of muscle, like some men in the village, but for Keoni, it was a lot. His arms were visibly and physically stronger, and his chest was more toned and defined. He had gotten quite a few admirers over the past few months due to this, but he didn't really seem to care.

"See?! You are doing it on purpose!" Keoni laughed and crossed his arms.

"You got me. So what're you going to do about it?" That earned a quick moment of silence as Moana tried to think of an answer, but had nothing.

"You're not going to do anything?" Keoni inquired. Moana shook her head.

"I dunno! What would you like me to do?" In response, he took her hand, yanked her close, and set her on his lap so she looked up at him. She watched him with wide eyes, visibly confused, but they shared a laugh.

"This actually feels nice." Moana commented, snuggling in, getting comfy in his lap, Keoni rolled his eyes and played with her hair. At this point, neither could deny their relationship was simply platonic. They'd known each other long enough, and they knew enough of each other that they could be courting. Whether it was allowed or not since Keoni wasn't the son of a chief, it was brought into question, but neither really cared.

"Yeah? Glad you think so."

"Heh, you're cuddly."

"Really?"

"Yeah." They made eye contact and just watched each other silently, taking in the individual details of each other's faces. Mainly the colors of their eyes. Keoni noted Moana's eyes were a vibrant brown, if looked at in the right angle of light, he could see hints of deep orange in them.

Moana saw Keoni's eyes were more of a duller brown, like the inside husk of a coconut, but they had slight hints of gold in them. Needless to say, they both thought each other's eyes were beautiful, and they noticed how close their faces were.

Briefly pausing to be sure they were okay with this, they leaned in, and their lips met. Sparks seemed to fly then. Keoni wrapped his arm around Moana so it settled on her waist, another arm wrapped around her back and settled on her shoulder, keeping her supported. Moana sat up and rested her hand on the bottom of his cheek. Kissing was a whole new experience, and it truly was as magical as everyone said it'd be.

They pulled apart slowly, both with stars in their eyes. At that moment, they knew it was more than platonic, they loved each other. They just knew it. Now it was a matter of it being permitted for Moana to marry Keoni. Hopefully, it wouldn't be hard.

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 **Hooray! Keoni and his big sister, Huihana have reunited! And he and Moana are together! Let's see how this goes! Will Moana and Keoni be allowed to marry? Wait and see!**


	10. Chapter 10

**Hello to all my readers and followers of this story! I'm so glad you guys are loving this story enough to follow and fave it, but it means so much more to me as a writer to leave a review! I love hearing your thoughts and constructive criticism, I just want to hear what y'all think! Anyway, there's another chapter then an epilogue after this! Enjoy!**

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Chapter 10:

"It isn't out of the question. It has happened before." A village elder named Aputi remarked. The aging man was a close friend and advisor to Tui for many years. He'd watched Moana grow into the remarkable young woman she was now. Moana and Keoni had gone to the village council to put forth that they wished to marry. As for now, the council had mixed feelings on the idea.

"Yes it has been done before, but not for many generations." Another council member commented with a sigh. They all continued to debate on the subject, meanwhile, Moana and Keoni were seated next to Sina and Tui. Moana's parents knew how much Keoni meant to her and that they were clearly in love with each other, they supported Moana and Keoni on their decision, but the council had to be convinced first.

Moana grew tired of the discussion, she walked out of the hut and waited outside patiently. She didn't understand why the council was divided on the idea of her and Keoni marrying. So what if he wasn't the son of a high-ranking official or a chief? And it had been done before…

A pair of feet were heard behind her, and Sina had joined her. Sina knew how much Moana and Keoni loved each other, they were practically inseparable at this point.

"Whaiāipo… It'll be alright. I know it's stressful." Moana scoffed slightly and rolled her eyes. "I don't get why they have such a problem with it. Love should matter more than class." Mother and daughter sat on the stone steps for quite some time. Sina wished to help Moana, but as for now, there was nothing either of them could do. All they could do was wait.

Frustratingly, the decision seemed to last for a couple days. Half the members wanted to be sure royal blood stayed, the other half said it was alright that Moana wished to marry a commoner. Eventually, after quite some time, Tui managed to convince the council to let Moana marry Keoni. It was a reluctant agreement, but they finally all agreed to it.

Now it was a matter of coordinating the ceremonies themselves.

The wedding came faster than the young couple could have expected. Sina and several other women helped Moana dress in an simple, but elegant white dress with red stitching and designs on the hemlines. The dress did not show her midriff this time. She was given a decorative belt, covered with pearls and small white seashells forming little patterns on the hard fabric, and shredded tree bark was sewn to it.

A beautiful flower crown of coconut leaves and red and white hibiscus flowers was made, along with the leaf bracelets with tiny seashells, and the leaf anklets. Moana wouldn't wear her headdress for this ceremony. Finally some subtle "makeup" was done, it was more of face paint, but softer and lighter. Once she was dressed, she took a few moments to talk to her parents privately.

In the meanwhile, Keoni was also getting ready. He was dressed in a white wraparound with more simple designs onto it, and minor embroidery. At first he wasn't so sure about the flower crown, but he grew to like it. He'd recently gotten a new tattoo on his left shoulder and upper forearm, the pain of it was unbearable and his shoulder was still a little sore, but he thought himself to be just fine. He was nervous as anyone could be on their wedding day. His sister came to visit him and pulled him in for a huge hug.

"You've come a long way you know." She smiled at him. He nodded and pushed back his bangs despite his recent haircut, he always insisted on his hair remaining long enough that his bangs hung over his eyes. Ever since they'd reunited, they'd worked together to repair their sibling bond and were closer than before. They'd swore to never leave each other's side, especially after those painful three years they didn't even know if the other was alive. That was the worst kind of emotional trauma they could have dealt with and they couldn't bear the idea of being apart again.

Finally the hour came. The dancers were ready and as were the musicians. The ceremony commenced and the village watched eagerly as their chief's daughter became an adult. Her coming of age. Huihana watched with pride as her little brother grew up right before her. As the big ceremony came to a close and the newlyweds kissed, the ceremony was done. Tui had to fight back tears and of course Maui did his signature cheer, even the ocean seemed to celebrate too. It reached up and dumped water on the newlyweds, soaking them completely, but everyone shared a good laugh. The couple exchanged their white leis with joy and shared another kiss.

Later, Moana was taken to get her Malu tattoos. And by the gods it hurt. Her legs stung and were sore, Keoni stood by to comfort her and let her grip his hand as hard as she needed to.

"By the gods this hurts…" Moana mumbled angrily. Keoni chuckled in amusement, watching the man giving her the tattoos with a close eye. Keoni had been rather protective of Moana lately, always trying to be by her side and help her if needed. Everyone said he was a wonderful friend and he just hoped he could live up to expectations as her husband. Sina and Tui assured him he'd do just fine, the stars assured him as well, but often he could never be too sure. Within a year he'd moved far up the social ladder, having gone from being a simple villager to soon being chief. It was a lot to take in and he still couldn't believe how lucky he'd gotten. He and Maui were pretty close friends at this point, they shared the same viewpoint; taking care of Moana and being sure she wouldn't get hurt, and they both seemed to be doing a pretty good job of it.

After several hours of letting the ink dry and set in, Keoni helped Moana to stand and led her outside to let her stretch her legs and help them get used to walking. Once they were sure she was fine, the dancing would begin.

Moana's body moved in such fluidity, it was mesmerizing. Keoni couldn't help but keep his eyes locked on her hips. The way she danced, it was like magic to him, Maui and Huihana noticed his expression and gave him some teasing glances, he only rolled his eyes in response. Tomorrow the new couple would be coronated as the chief's . He couldn't help but get lost in his thoughts, his eyes on Moana, but his mind elsewhere. He suddenly felt someone probing through his mind… Or, well not probing per say, but it felt like someone was trying to reach out to him

 _Who is that? Who's there?_ There was no response, but he could feel someone there. Or something. He remained lost in his mind, which seemed to help.

 _Hola Keoni…_

 _Who are you?_

 _Don't you recognize my voice, Keoni?_ He felt his heart begin to pound. How had his mother managed to communicate with him? Yeah sure she was a goddess now, but… This was bizarre.

 _Mother? H-how…?_

 _That does not matter now. I am watching over you and your sister. I am very proud of you, you know._ He could feel her pride course through his body, into his bones. The feeling knowing that she was always there brought comfort to him. Moana had her grandmother, and Keoni and Huihana had their mother. _You do look a lot like your father now. The eyes are of the same being._

 _I wish I knew him._

 _I know kuʻu aloha… I know. He was a good man before he left. But that is not relevant. What does matter is that you're married and about to become chief. You've accomplished much in your lifetime, I hope you are proud of yourself._ Keoni nodded absentmindedly, not noticing Moana had nearly completed her dance and the villagers were cheering her along, the bang of the drums resounded in his ears, reverberating through his skull.

 _And Moana is a remarkable young woman. Treat her well, kuʻu aloha._

 _You know I will._ And with that, he felt her presence shimmer in his mind and disappear. It felt good to talk to her again. He felt calm, and at peace. His eyes and mind cleared, and Moana was done with her dance, how much time had passed? Her eyes were sparkling and looked like fire in the light. Gods she was beautiful.

After the dance, the couple made their way to their hut to get ready for a good night's sleep. They spent a while staying up, as they were so excited with one another it was hard to focus on anything else. After a little while, Keoni played with Moana's hair as she tried falling asleep. He'd tie it into a braid then release it, and repeat many times, until Moana was out. He'd softly kiss her neck or shoulder or anywhere on her face. Tender, sweet love was all it was. Life was good.


	11. Chapter 11

**Disclaimer; I don't actually know how ancient Polynesian chiefing/coronation ceremonies played out so I had to go with what I could find and what I could think of. If anyone has the correct information please let me know!**

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Chapter 11:

The next day, they were apart as they prepared for the coronation ceremony. Dressed in tapa cloth in various shades of red and deep pink, along with the headdresses and the grass. Leaf bracelets and anklets, with shells and pearls sewn in, it was blur of preparation. A massive feast was being cooked for the entire village. The day would be full of eating, dancing and singing after the ceremony. Huihana couldn't stop talking about her fisherman husband who'd accompany her the whole day. She was thrilled for Moana and Keoni and kept rushing back and forth to them to help. Everyone was in a rush, Tui and Sina also prepared themselves as they were to exchange their power to their daughter and son-in-law.

As the ceremony commenced, drums and dancers were in sync, along with some singing. Motonui's closest trading partner and its chief and some of the upper class villagers were there, it was to be quite the ceremony that would be talked about for months, even years.

As she was the sister of the new chief, Huihana was also dressed in a rich red dress descending to her ankles, a soft dark pink overskirt, and a decorative belt, along with her usual deep purple flowers in her hair. The sun cast soft shadows across the faces of the new chiefs as the ceremony ended. Maui also watched with pride as his best friend finally accomplished what she knew she was also meant for other than wayfinding.

An hour or so later, the festivities began. But Moana and Keoni kept themselves away from the crowd. As the sun set, they took a quiet walk on the beach alone together. It seemed like nothing could disturb the peace and quiet. In the distance, the sound of drums, singing and people cheering could be heard. Overhead, as the darkness of night folded over the brilliant pinks, oranges and reds of the sunset, stars twinkled brightly. Peace of the night fell over the world, and it felt like they were alone. They walked through the village quietly and made their way up the mountain and sat down on the sacred cliff that overlooked the village and the reef and the sea itself.

Night finally fell, they could see all the stars, including the constellation of Maui's fishhook, among many others. It was quite lovely and gave off a romantic atmosphere. Keoni took Moana's hand in his and his thumb stroked the skin of her palm softly. She watched him from the corner of her eye with a smile. She had grown to love and care for him over the past year. It was like they were inseparable now. And of course, they were both aware that Moana had to have an heir soon, within the next few years, but for now, they just wanted to celebrate their chiefdom and marriage together as a couple, just for a while. Sure, the council and village elders might not be so pleased of the concept, but they had to deal with it.

The following day, life returned to normal. The new chiefs worked together to help the villagers, and Huihana then announced her pregnancy. Three days of celebration, Moana was hopeful for a quiet and peaceful day, but she knew that would come limited now. Maui kept them company, joking around to keep them going, which seemed to help, once they finally adjusted to their duties everything seemed to flow more smoothly.

Despite her liking her new duties, Moana wanted to get back onto the water and get back into wayfinding. It'd been a while, so it was understandable she was itching for it. She'd take some time to stand on the canoes and feel the sea breeze blow her hair away from her face. It amused Keoni and he understood.

As the months passed, life was easy and good, things went by as they were supposed to, several deaths had occurred, along with some births in the village. Huihana birthed two male twins she named Amiri, who was the older of the pair, and Rua. They were sweet little babies, but very vocal, Huihana and her husband had a lot on her hands, and Moana and Keoni were happy to help care for them.

The sea seemed excited when the canoes headed out to sea again. It was time to start trading again with the sun shifting its position, but to Moana, it meant more now that she was back on the ocean. Huihana and her family had tagged along to give the twins exposure to the seas, and they seemed to be handling it well. In fact they seemed to enjoy it.

Keoni stood by Moana as the breeze pushed the canoe forward, their eyes locked on the horizon. Even though this time their journey was to trade, to them it felt like another adventure. The seas were wild and strong, but they loved it. Keoni would hold onto a rope and lean over the edge, grazing the surface of the ocean with his fingers. Dolphins would follow the canoe wherever it went, like guides almost.

Every venture out to sea felt like an adventure, always would. Moana and Keoni wouldn't have it any other way.


	12. Chapter 12

**Hey everyone! Here is the epilogue of the story! I hope y'all have enjoyed reading this story as much as I enjoyed writing it!**

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 _Roughly four years later…_

 _"Her?" Huihana just pushed him inside. There, it was just him, Moana, and the little bundle she cradled in her arms._

 _"Keoni..." She breathed, patting a spot next to her so he could see their newborn._

 _"Come meet your daughter." Overwhelmed with emotions, Keoni slowly trudged over and sat down next to Moana. In her arms, the little bundle squeaked and kicked at the blanket, freeing a tiny foot._

 _Keoni almost made an inhuman like sound when he saw his daughter. Her eyes parted open and she looked up at her parents in confusion at first, then fascination. With a chuckle, Moana rocked her gently before handing her to her father, "Here you go."_

 _Keoni's arms trembled holding this tiny little human in his arms. A tiny human he helped create. She looked more like her mother, with those waves of hair, the eyes, and the nose. She was a precious little thing. She reached a tiny hand out to him, he let her grip his finger tightly. With a chuckle, he wiggled his finger which seemed to amuse the baby. She pulled his finger into her mouth and sucked on it. Moana and Keoni both shared a smile. He slowly pulled his finger back and handed the baby back to Moana, who pulled down the edge of the blanket that lay atop_ her, _and allowed the baby to nurse._

 _"What are we to name her?" He asked quietly. Moana rocked the baby and responded softly._

 _"_ Laeli _…"_


End file.
